Electronic system and method for improving human interaction and activities

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein generally relate to an electronic system, electronic device and/or a method of using the same to improve human activities in a business, a home or an educational environment. The electronic system, electronic device, and method allows for anonymous feedback from users to alert another user that the sound levels being maintained in a certain region are unacceptable. The method includes inputting one or more sound preferences into one or more electronic devices, receiving, at a first electronic device of the one or more electronic devices, local environment data, determining whether the local environmental data is associated with a first user, exchanging the local environment data with the one or more electronic devices, and generating an alert on the first electronic device. The method and electronic system allows users in the office environment to provide anonymous feedback to users that do not maintain an appropriate sound level.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/001,384, filed Aug. 24, 2020, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to an apparatus and amethod of monitoring and providing feedback to adjust and improve humaninteraction and activities, and, more specifically, to an electronicsystem, electronic device and/or a method of using the same to improvehuman activities in a business, a home or an educational environment.

Description of the Related Art

Open office spaces have become a popular way to structure workenvironments. In open offices, the number of offices and cubicles arereduced, such that employees work in an open environment with less wallsor other barriers between the employees. An open environment increasescommunication between employees and managers, encouraging morecollaboration. In addition, open environments reduce costs by reducingthe overall footprint needed in a given office. Personal office spacesor areas can be converted to common areas, which can reduce a business'soverhead costs.

Open office environments, however, increase office noise, due to thelack of physical barriers between different office workers. Therefore,many open office environments include areas that are specifically suitedand/or configured for the generation of higher sound levels, such assound levels achieved during meetings and phone calls. Open officeenvironments may also include quieter areas, so that workers who desirea quieter environment, can work more effectively. In addition, openoffice environments can also include conference rooms for cases whereprivacy is required.

One drawback of conventional open environments is that anon-confrontational, systematic and comprehensive method of providingfeedback to users who do not maintain appropriate sound levels does notcurrently exist. In addition, there are no solutions for helping usersautomatically find open conference rooms so that the user can continuetheir phone or voice call without being interrupted. Also, there is noway to automatically create, identify and/or move individuals to quietor noisy areas within a specific region of an office, educational space,library or home.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for systems to provide feedback toand/or manage loud and quiet users in an open office, educational space,library or home environment. There is also a need for a system,device(s) and methods that solves the problems described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments herein generally relate to an electronic system and a methodof transmitting improving human interaction and activities. Theelectronic system and method allow for anonymous feedback to a userregarding the characteristics of the detected sound generated by theuser within a region of an environment.

In one embodiment, a computer implemented method is provided, includingreceiving, at a first electronic device, a sound characteristicpreference level from one or more electronic devices, receiving, at thefirst electronic device, local environment data, wherein the localenvironment data comprises an audible signal, determining that the localenvironmental data is associated with a first user, generating an alerton the first electronic device, wherein the generated alert is generatedafter determining that a characteristic of the audible signal exceedsthe received sound characteristic preference level, and displayinginformation on a display of the first electronic device, wherein thedisplayed information comprises information relating to the generatedalert.

In another embodiment, a computer implemented method is provided,including inputting into a first electronic device a first soundcharacteristic preference level, receiving, at the first electronicdevice, a second sound characteristic preference level from a secondelectronic devices, receiving, at the first electronic device, localenvironment data, wherein the local environment data comprises anaudible signal, determining that the local environmental data isassociated with a first user, and generating an alert on the firstelectronic device, wherein the generated alert is generated afterdetermining that a characteristic of the audible signal exceeds thereceived second sound characteristic preference level.

In yet another embodiment, an electronic system is provided, including afirst electronic device including a microphone, and a non-volatilememory having program information stored therein, wherein the programinformation includes a number of instructions which, when executed by aprocessor, causes the first electronic device to perform operationsincluding receiving, at the first electronic device, local environmentdata, wherein the local environment data comprises an audible signal,determining whether the local environmental data is associated with afirst user, exchanging the local environment data with the firstelectronic device, generating an alert on the first electronic device,wherein the generated alert is generated after determining that acharacteristic of the audible signal exceeds the received soundcharacteristic preference level, and displaying information on a displayof the first electronic device, wherein the displayed informationcomprises information relating to the generated alert.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the inventioncan be understood in detail, a more particular description of theinvention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic top view of an environment in whichhumans can interact, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1B illustrates a schematic diagram of a portion of an environmentin which humans can interact, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for providing feedback and/ormanaging one or more users within an environment, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 3A illustrates a graphical representation of graphical userinterface useful for a software application, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 3B illustrates one or more elements of graphical user interfaceuseful for display on an electronic device, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a series of graphical user interface screens for asoftware application, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of an electronic system,according to one embodiment.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in oneembodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments withoutspecific recitation. The drawings referred to here should not beunderstood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted. Also, thedrawings are often simplified and details or components omitted forclarity of presentation and explanation. The drawings and discussionserve to explain principles discussed below, where like designationsdenote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However,it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the presentinvention may be practiced without one or more of these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known features have not been describedin order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

Embodiments herein generally relate to an electronic system and a methodof monitoring and providing feedback to adjust and improve humaninteraction and activities. Embodiments of the disclosure can provide anelectronic system and method that allows a user to receive real timefeedback based on the sound levels the user is generating. Sound levelmay also be referred to as a loudness level, which is measured indecibels (dBs). In some embodiments, the sound level in an environmentcan be determined by finding and or characterized by a root-mean-square(RMS) value of an audible signal. In some configurations, the feedbackprovided to a user can be provided anonymously. For example, thefeedback can be related to unacceptable sound levels being generated bya user. The method includes inputting one or more sound preferences intoone or more electronic devices, receiving, at a first electronic deviceof the one or more electronic devices, local environment data,determining whether the local environmental data is associated with afirst user, exchanging the local environment data with the one or moreelectronic devices, and generating an alert on the first electronicdevice. An electronic system is provided to perform one or more of themethods disclosed herein.

The methods disclosed herein describe one or more processes formonitoring and analyzing the sound levels of various users in anenvironment, such as an office, educational facility or home. The methodand electronic system disclosed herein allow users in an environment toprovide anonymous feedback to users that are causing a distraction, suchas the user not maintain an appropriate sound level. The method andelectronic system may also provide solutions to users to move either toan area with more appropriate sound levels and/or to reserve a spacethat is adapted to better handle the noise generated by a user, such asa conference room. The method and electronic systems disclosed hereinallow for monitoring and creating areas within an office or similarspace that have loud and quite regions for more effective location ofindividuals within an office or other type of space. Embodimentsdescribed herein can be useful for, but are not limited to, methods andelectronic systems used for comparing sound levels in an open work, homeor educational environment.

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic top view of an environment 100 in whichhumans can interact, according to one embodiment. The environment 100can be an open office, home, or educational environment. For the purposeof explanation of various embodiments of the disclosure, the environment100 can include a plurality of rooms 100A that may include one or moreof a reception room 101, a first employee work room 102, a secondemployee work room 103, a first conference room 104, a second conferenceroom 107, and a host device room 106. Although the environment 100 asshown include the six previously mentioned rooms 101, 102, 103, 104,106, 107, it is to be understood that the number of rooms is purelyillustrative, and any number of rooms and types of rooms could becontained within the environment 100.

Each room of the plurality of rooms 100A generally has one or more users110 included there within, although at any given time one or more rooms100A can be empty. In addition, the number of users 110 in a given room100A can fluctuate over time.

Each of the rooms 100A can include one or more electronic devices 120(e.g., electronic device 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E respectively) thatare part of an electronic system 500 (FIGS. 1B and 5). The one or moreelectronic devices 120 may include devices positioned in a room 100A(e.g., the electronic device is mounted on a wall of the room, on atable in the room, etc.) and/or associated with one of the users 110 ofthe room 100A.

The plurality of rooms 100A optionally includes a host device room 106,and a host device 145 of the electronic system 500 that is locatedtherein. The host device 145 can facilitate communication betweenvarious devices (e.g., electronic devices 120) disposed in theenvironment 100. The host device 145 is described in more detail below.In some embodiments, the host device 145 is located offsite, and thehost device room 106 is not included.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a portion 100P of the environment 100,according to one embodiment. As shown, a plurality of users 110 arepositioned within the portion 100P of the environment 100, such as aroom or portion of a room. In this example, each user 110 (e.g., users110A, 110B, 110C) is associated with an electronic device 120 (e.g.,electronic devices 120A, 120B, 120C).

The electronic devices 120 can be configured to monitor and processcharacteristics of sound generated within the environment 100. Theelectronic devices 120 can be any type of electronic device, such as acell phone (e.g., smart phone), a tablet computing device, laptopcomputer, an e-book reader, a portable music player, or other similarelectronic device. Examples of an electronic device 120 include, but arenot limited to, iPod® media player, iPhone® smart phone, iPad® tablet,Android™ phone, Samsung phone, Samsung Galaxy® smart phone, Squeeze™box, Microsoft Surface® tablet, laptop, or other similar device. In someembodiments, the electronic device 120 is part of the conferencingdevice 111. The conferencing device 111 can be any electronic deviceused in the art for short or long-distance digital communication, suchas a telephone, video phone, television, and the like.

As shown, an electronic device 120 includes a processing device 105 anda communication device 121. In one embodiment, the electronic device 120is a single integrated device, such that the processing device 105 andthe communication device 121 are integrated in a single unit (e.g., acomputer or a cell phone). In other embodiments, the communicationdevice 121 is an external device that is in communication with theprocessing device 105, where the processing device 105 is a personalelectronic device, such as a laptop, smart watch or smart phone. Thecommunication device 121 can include an electronic device (e.g.,controller 530) that essentially includes an input/output (I/O) device532 that includes a microphone. As is discussed further below, in someother embodiments, the communication device 121 includes a controller530 that includes a processor 534, memory 533 and an I/O device 532 thatincludes the microphone.

The communication device 121 is configured to receive and transmit thelocal environment data received from the environment 100 to theprocessing device 105 via the communication link 128. The communicationlink 128 can be a wired or wireless communication link. The processingdevice 105 is configured to receive and process the local environmentdata transmitted from the communication device 121. The electronicdevice 120 will be referred to herein as a single integrated device, butit is to be understood that the electronic device 120 can be acombination of a separate processing device 105 and communication device121, without loss of generality.

In one example shown in FIG. 1B, the processing device 105A is a laptop,and the communication device 121A includes a microphone that isconfigured to communicate with the laptop by a universal serial bus(USB) cord, which forms at least part of the communications link 128. Inanother example, the processing device 105B is a smart phone, and thecommunication device 121B includes a microphone that communicates to thesmart phone by a Bluetooth® communications link 128. In yet anotherexample, the processing device 105C is a desktop computer, theelectronic device 121C is disposed on a headset, and the electronicdevice 121C communicates with the processing device 105A by a Bluetooth®or a WiFi communications link 128. In an additional example, theelectronic device 120D is fixed to a desk, and the electronic devicemonitors the sound levels of the room or area nearby, rather than thesound levels of a particular user. In another example, a firstelectronic device 120A includes a laptop 105A that is connected to amicrophone within a communication device 121A via a USB connection, asecond electronic device 120B includes a tablet 105B that is wirelesslyconnected to a microphone within a wireless communication device 121B, athird electronic device 120C includes a video conferencing device 105Cthat is wirelessly connected to a microphone within a gaming headset(i.e., communication device 121C), and a fourth electronic device 120Dincludes a conference phone 105D that includes a communication device121D that includes a microphone.

Referring back to FIG. 1A, each of the plurality of electronic devices120 is configured to monitor the sound levels of the room 100A in whichthe electronic device is contained within (e.g., the electronic device1201 monitors the sound level of the reception room 101). Eachelectronic device 120 has an associated intended sphere of interactionradius R (hereafter radius R), and the electronic device is configuredto primarily detect and monitor local environment data within the radiusR (e.g., the electronic device 1201 has a radius R₁, and the electronicdevice 1201 is configured to monitor local environment data from sourceswithin the radius R₁). The electronic device 120 is positioned to detectsound within a local region of the environment defined by the radius R.The radius R can be changed by selecting and/or adjusting thesensitivity of the communication device 121 (e.g., microphone) and/orsignal processing techniques (e.g., signal-to-noise cancellation,loudness detection) by use of hardware and/or software contained withinthe electronic device 120. In some examples, the radius R may beselected to primarily detect environmental data that is within a radiusof about 1 meter (m), 2 m, 3 m, 5 m, 8 m, 10 m, 15 m or 25 m in size. Inone example, the electronic device 120 is configured to primarily detectenvironmental data that has a loudness (SPL) greater than 50 dB, such asbetween 60 and 100 dB, within a radius R that is about 1 m to about 10 min size, such as about 2 m to about 5 m in size. In some embodiments,the radius R is preconfigured by setting hardware and softwareparameters that are determined by the application of a qualificationprocess that may include testing and modification of the software andhardware parameters. The qualification process may include, for example,the use of one or more sound generating devices that are positioned at adesired distance and generate a desired sound at a desired loudness andfrequency in an at least a partially controlled or process variablemonitored environment (e.g., air temperature, humidity, barometricpressure, etc.). In some embodiments, the radius R is set by use ofmachine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (Al) software loadedinto memory of electronic device 120, and thus be able to set and/oradjust the radius R based on program instructions stored in memory,input received from one or more users or other electronic devicespositioned at a known distance from the electronic device 120, and/or bythe use of a qualification process.

As is discussed herein, the local environment data includes an audiblesignal that includes audible sounds created by one of the users 110. Theaudible sounds created by a user can include sounds generated by theuser themselves, such as sounds created by talking, clapping, whistling,or humming, or sounds generated by another device or instrument that areunder the user's control, such as a sound level being generated by anaudio speaker, headphones or other sound generating device.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 120 is configured todistinguish the number of people present in the room 100A in which theelectronic device is contained within. This allows a user 110 to know ifa room is occupied, or if there is room for the user 110 in the room(i.e., if the room is at capacity). In some embodiments, the electronicdevice 120 is configured to identify and distinguish the differentvoices and identify the users 110 by their voices. In addition, theelectronic device 120 can identify other users 110 by identifying theother electronic devices 120 present in the room 100A. Theidentification of a specific user 110 can be broadcast to some or all ofthe other users 110 on a continuing or intermittent basis. This allows auser (e.g., user 110A) to locate another user (e.g., user 110B).

If a room is sized and/or shaped such that one electronic device 120 isunable to adequately monitor local environment data of the entire room,multiple electronic devices 120 can be included in a single room. Theinteraction radii R of the multiple electronic devices 120 can beconfigured such that local environment data in the entire room ismonitored. The room includes three or more electronic devices 120, andthus the electronic devices are able to triangulate sources, such assound sources, according to one embodiment.

One of the electronic devices 120 is typically configured to communicatewith other electronic devices 120 located in the environment 100 via theone or more communication links 127 (e.g., the electronic device 120Acommunicates with the electronic devices 120B, 120C). The communicationlink 127, and also communication link 128, can each include a wiredand/or wireless communication path that is enabled by the transmissionof a communication signal, such as the transmission of a radio signal,infrared signal, ultrasonic signal, electronic signal, or other similarcommunication signal transfer method, according to some embodiments.Other communication signal transfer methods that can be used include,but are not limited to, wireless communication technologies, such asBluetooth® wireless technology (BT), Bluetooth® Low Energy wirelesstechnology (BLTE), Infrastructure Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi™) wirelesstechnology, soft access point (AP), Wi-Fi-Direct, near-fieldcommunication (NFC), and any combination of the above. As is discussedfurther below, the electronic devices 120 will also generally includesoftware applications that include software algorithms that are storedin memory and are configured to receive, analyze and/or transmit theinformation transferred via a communication link 127. The softwarealgorithms are generally used by one or more of the electronic devices120 to perform some part of the various methods described herein.

In general, users 110 may desire to work in a working environment thathas sound levels below a given volume. For example, the user 110B ofFIG. 1B desires to work in a quiet area such that sound levels are keptbelow about a quiet limit, such as about 55 dB. If the other user 110Ais speaking at a volume greater than the quiet limit, the user 110B willfind it more difficult to concentrate. The user 110B can find itdifficult to alert the user 110A about the sound preferences to the user110B. For example, the user 110B does not want to annoy or humiliate theuser 110A, or, for example, intervene on a call or conference call thatthe user is attending at that moment in time. Therefore, it can bedesirable for the user 110B to supply his or her preferencesanonymously. Likewise, it is desirable for the user 110A to become awarethat they are speaking at a level that is too high for the other users110 in the same portion 100P or an adjacent portion of the environment100.

For these reasons, in a given environment 100, it is desirable thatcertain work spaces and/or rooms maintain a sound level below a certainamount. For example, certain rooms or work spaces can be designated asquiet areas, such that sound levels are kept below about a quiet limit,such as about 55 dB. In other cases, a higher sound level in the area isacceptable. For example, certain rooms or work spaces can be designatedas collaboration areas, such that sound levels are kept below acollaboration limit, such about 70 dB. Loud areas can be used whencollaboration is needed, such as work rooms or conference rooms.Therefore, it is desirable to alert the user 110A that, while his or herspeaking voice is too loud for a given area and/or the surrounding users110, another loud area is available for the user 110A to move to.Although loud and quiet areas or zones are disclosed herein, it is to beunderstood that these are examples, and any number of different zoneswith different sound levels can be applied.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method 200 for providing feedback and/ormanaging the one or more users 110 within the environment 100, accordingto one embodiment. Although the method 200 operations are described inconjunction with FIGS. 1A-5, persons skilled in the art will understandthat any system configured to perform the method operations, in anyorder, falls within the scope of the embodiments described herein.

The method 200 begins at operation 205, where one or more of the users110 input one or more sound characteristic preference levels into theirrespective electronic device 120. For example, the user 110B enters apublic sound characteristic preference level of 55 dB into theelectronic device 120B. In some embodiments, the respective electronicdevice 120B then stores the public sound characteristic preference leveland/or transmits the public sound characteristic preference level to theother electronic devices 120A, 120C, 120D by use of the one or morecommunication links 127. Thus, the other users 110A, 110C, by use ofsoftware running on their respective electronic devices 120A, 120C, canview or receive confirmation of the public sound characteristictolerance level of the user 110A. In some embodiments, the user 110Balso inputs a private sound characteristic tolerance level, which isdescribed in more detail below. In some embodiments, the host device 145first receives the public sound characteristic preference level, and thehost device 145 then stores the public sound characteristic preferencelevel and transmits the public sound characteristic preference level toall of the available electronic devices, such as electronic devices120A, 120C, 120D.

At operation 210, one or more of the electronic devices 120 receivelocal environment data. The local environment data includes an audiblesignal from the surrounding environment 100. For example, the audiblesignal includes the detected sound levels generated by the first user110A, which is associated with the first electronic device 120A. Theprocess of receiving the local environmental data will include the useof a microphone that is part of and/or in communication with theelectronic device 120, as discussed further below. In one example, asillustrated in FIG. 1B, a microphone within the communications device121A of the electronic device 120A is used to monitor and detect theaudible signal generated by the first user 110A. The audible signalgenerated by the first user 110A and detected by the microphone has asound level or loudness (SPL), which is measured in decibels (dBs). Insome embodiments, the audible signal is determined by finding or ischaracterized by a root-mean-square (RMS) value measured from a signalgenerated by the microphone. In some embodiments, the communicationsdevice 121 of the electronic device 120 is configured to primarilydetect a generated audible signal that has a loudness (SPL) greater than50 dB or even 55 dB, such as between 60 and 100 dB, within a radius R.

At operation 215, the electronic device determines that the detectedaudible signal is associated with a user (e.g., first user 110A). Thedetermining process can be made by software algorithms (e.g., softwareapplication 300A of FIG. 3) running on an electronic device 120. In somecases the association that a detected audible signal is associated witha user can be made due to the proximity of a microphone to the user,and, in cases where there are more than one microphones that arepositioned to detect the audible signal, the magnitude of the soundlevel (e.g., SPL) detected by the microphone relative to othermicrophones within the surrounding environment 100. The softwarealgorithms may use various techniques, such as beamforming techniques,to detect the direction of an incoming audible signal and thus associatean audible signal with a user. In some cases, the determination that thedetected audible signal is associated to a particular user is madesimply by the association of a user with a particular electronic device(e.g., microphone of the first electronic device 120A) or the fact thata user is using the particular electronic device.

In some embodiments, the user 110A is located in a room, and the roomcontains a plurality of electronic devices 120 that are disposed in theroom. In these embodiments, a plurality of microphones, which are eachassociated with one or more electronic devices 120, can be used totriangulate the audible signal and identify the user (e.g., the user110A) creating the audible signal. In these embodiments, operation 210includes the use of the audible signal from the plurality of microphonesdisposed in the room, and thus includes the audible signal received bymore than one microphone in one or more electronic devices. The user110A does not need to use an associated electronic device, although theaudible signal from the associated electronic device, if present, canoptionally be used in operation 210.

At operation 220, an analysis is performed on the received localenvironment data from the one or more microphones to determine if thereceived local environment data has characteristics that are conduciveto maintaining desired sound characteristics within the localenvironment. The analysis can be performed using software running on anyof the electronic devices 120 and/or the host device 145, if present. Inone embodiment, the analysis is performed on local environment data,received from the microphone within the communications device 121A,using software running on the first electronic devices 120A. In anotherembodiment, the analysis is performed on local environment data,received from the microphone within the communications device 121A andtransferred to the host device 145, using software running on the hostdevice 145. In yet another embodiment, the analysis is performed onlocal environment data, received from the microphone within thecommunications device 121A, and transferred to a second electronicdevice 120B, using software running on the second electronic device120B.

The analysis performed during operation 220 includes comparing one ormore characteristics of the audible signal of the local environment datawith other users' public and/or private sound characteristic tolerancelevels. The one or more sound characteristics can include aninstantaneous sound level, sound level at one or more frequencies, soundlevel averaged over time, or other detectable sound characteristic. Theusers' public and/or private sound characteristic tolerance levels,which were received and/or stored during operation 205, can be retrievedfrom memory of the electronic device 120 and/or the host device 140. Inone example, the analysis includes a comparison of the received audiblesignal, which includes the detected sound levels associated with a userof the first electronic device 120A, and the second electronic device120B users' public sound characteristic tolerance level, by use of oneor more software algorithms running on the first electronic device 120A.

In one embodiment, one or more of the electronic devices 120 are locatedin the same area as a user, such as user 110A. In this case, otherelectronic devices, such as a second electronic device 120B, can detectand send out information to a first electronic device 120A relating tothe sound level of the user of the second electronic device 120B. Thesound level detected by the second electronic device 120B can be used todetermine the general sound level of the region of the room. Forexample, although the sound level of the room has been set to a maximumof about 70 dB, none, or few, of the users in the room are making noisesat a level above about 55 dB. Thus, the sound level of the room actuallyreflects a maximum of about 55 dB. The general sound level of the regionof the room can be used to during the analysis performed in operation220 to determine if the one or more characteristics of the audiblesignal attributed to a user is large enough to warrant performingoperation 240 in which an alert is provided to a user.

At operation 240, an alert is generated on the electronic device 120Awhen the analysis performed in operation 220 determines that thereceived audible signal exceeds a desired sound characteristic tolerancelevel within the local environment. Operation 240 includes determining alocal sound level (i.e., the current sound level) of the room anddetermining a maximum sound level (i.e., the sound level set by a useror the host device 145) of the room, according to one embodiment.Operation 240 includes sending a message to the user 110A, according toone embodiment. For example, the message includes supportive informationto the user 110A if the sound level of the user 110A is consistentlylower than the sound levels set by the other users 1108, 110C. Inanother example, the message includes a warning that the user 110A isconsistently higher than the sound level set by the other users 1108,110C.

The alert includes displaying information relating to the audible signalon a GUI 595 of the first electronic device 120A, according to oneembodiment. For example, the alert includes the first user's 110A soundlevels in comparison to the sound levels of the other users 1108, 110Cin the same room. The alert can also include the maximum level of theroom (either set by the host device 145 and/or a super user of the hostdevice, or as set by the actual sound levels of the room as describedabove). The alert can be sent or provided by a software application 300A(FIG. 3A) running on an electronic device 120, such as electronic device120A for example. In response to the alert, the user 110A can lower hisor her sound levels (e.g., volume level) below the allowed sound limitof the local environment, the user 110A can leave the room, or the user110A can be alerted of a room or area that accommodates the speakingsound level of the user 110A, as described in more detail below.

Operation 240 can also include displaying additional information on thedisplay of the first electronic device 120A. The displayed additionalinformation includes information relating to the environment 100 outsideof the first local environment (e.g., the portion 100P). In someembodiments, a portion of the environment 100 is considered to bepositioned outside of the first local environment since it is positioneda distance from the first local environment and the first electronicdevice 120A, such as distances exceeding the sphere of interactionradius R. In some embodiments, the additional information includesavailable conference rooms or other portions of the environment 100 thathave sound levels higher than the user's 110A current and/or predictedsound level. In some embodiments, the additional information is providedto one or more users 110 that are consistently below a quiet soundthreshold, and the additional information includes information relatingto a quiet area is available and/or the sound level in different areasof the environment. In some embodiments, the information includes alocation of a portion of the environment 100, a local sound level of theportion of the environment 100 and, a path from a current location ofthe first electronic device 120A to the location of the portion of theenvironment 100. This assists the user 110A in traveling from the user's110A current location to the portion of the environment 100 that hasmore appropriate sound levels. In addition, the path includes areas ofthe environment 100 that have sound levels the same or higher than theuser's 110A current sound level, so that the user 110A can maintain hisor her current sound levels on the path without disturbing other users110.

FIG. 3A illustrates a graphical representation of a graphical userinterface (GUI) 301 useful for a software application 300A, according toone or more embodiments. The GUI 301 can be the GUI 595 of theelectronic device 120. The software application 300A can be used in themethod 200, as will be described in more detail below. The softwareapplication 300A is configured to display sound levels and other localenvironment data transmitted and received from nearby electronicdevices. The software application 300A can be part of software locatedand running on the electronic device 120. As shown, the softwareapplication 300A includes the GUI 301. The GUI 301 includes a currentnoise indicator 310, a local sound characteristic tolerance indicator320, and a personal sound characteristic tolerance indicator 330. Insome embodiments, the graphical user interface (GUI) 301 and softwareapplication 300A is provided within and utilized by one or more of theelectronic devices 120, such as electronic device 120A-120D in FIG. 1B.

The current noise indicator 310 is configured to display the audiblesignal received from the electronic device 120 associated with thesoftware application 300A. The audible signal can be analyzed bysoftware located within the electronic device 120, on the host device145 (if present), on the communications device 121, on the processingdevice 105, or on any other device included in the environment 100.

As shown, the current noise indicator 310 includes a sound visualindicator 311, a sound level indicator 312, a limit indicator 313, avisual indicator 314, and a text indicator 315. The sound visualindicator 311 is generally a pictorial representation of current soundlevels (e.g., SPL levels) picked up by an electronic device 120. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 3A, the sound visual indicator 311 includes asound graph that is in the form of an increasing sound level type of barchart. The sound graph can be black and white, or include one or morecolors. The colors used in the sound visual indicator 311 can changewith the audible signal in comparison to the local limit. For example,if the sound level received by the electronic device 120A issignificantly lower than the local limit, the sound visual indicator 311is green (e.g., the first three bars are filled in); if the sound levelis lower than the local limit but within a set sound range, the soundvisual indicator 311 is yellow (e.g., the first four to seven bars arefilled in); and if the sound level is higher than the local limit, thesound visual indicator 311 is red (e.g., the first eight to ten bars arefilled in). The current noise indicator 310 can be used in operation210, where the electronic device 120A receives local environment data.

The sound level indicator 312 shows the current sound level in desiredunits, such as dB. The limit indicator 313 shows the limit level of thearea in desired units, such as dB. The visual indicator 314 shows anicon, such as a smiley face or other emoji, that varies with the soundlevel in comparison to the local limit, and thus can be determinedduring operation 220 of method 200. For example, if the sound levelreceived by the electronic device 120 is significantly lower than thelocal limit, the visual indicator 314 is a happy face, and if the soundlevel is higher than the local limit, the visual indicator 314 is a sadface. The text indicator 315 displays pre-chosen text that varies withthe sound level in comparison to the local limit. For example, the textindicator 315 displays supportive messages when the user 110Aconsistently keeps his or her sound level below the level limit. Thevisual indicator 314 and the text indicator 315 can be used in operation240, when an alert is generated on the electronic device 120A. Forexample, the visual indicator 314 and the text indicator 315 indicate tothe user 110A that the user's 110A sound levels are too high.

The local sound characteristic tolerance indicator 320 indicates thedesired sound limit of nearby users, and can be received by theelectronic device 120 during operation 205 of method 200. As shown, thelocal sound characteristic tolerance indicator 320 includes one or moreuser icons 321 and one or more limit indicators 322. Each user icon 321may display information about the associated user, such as the user'sname, profile picture, title, and the like. Each user icon 321 can besized differently, depending on the distance of the associated user 110Afrom the user 1108 of the electronic device 120B. Each user sets his orher desired sound limit (e.g., the user 1108 on the electronic device120B), and each limit indicator 322 is associated with a user. The limitindicator 322 allows other the user 1108 to broadcast his or her desiredsound limits, without explicitly telling other users 110A, 110C in thearea about his or her preferences. The local sound characteristictolerance indicator 320 can be input in operation 205, where users 110input one or more sound preferences into the respective electronicdevice 120.

The personal tolerance indicator 330 is set by a user (e.g., user 1108on the electronic device 1208) and the relevant information can bebroadcast from the electronic device associated with a user (e.g., user1108) to those nearby, without explicitly telling other users (e.g.,users 110A, 110C) in their area about his or her preferences. As shown,the personal sound characteristic tolerance indicator 330 includes apublic sound characteristic tolerance indicator 331 and a private soundcharacteristic tolerance indicator 332. The public sound characteristictolerance indicator 331 is visible to other users, whereas the privatesound characteristic tolerance indicator 332 is not visible to otherusers. This allows the user (e.g., user 110B) to display a public soundcharacteristic level using the software application 300A while actuallykeeping a preferred higher or lower sound characteristic level private.Thus, the user (e.g., user 110B) can anonymously control the sound levelof a room without fear of irritating other users (e.g., users 110A,110C) with his or her public sound characteristic preference. Once theuser sets the sound characteristic tolerance indicators 331, 332 on hisor her electronic device (e.g., device 120B), the electronic devicetransmits information including the sound characteristic soundcharacteristic tolerance indicators to other electronic device(s) (e.g.,120A, 120C) in the environment 100. Each of the public and private soundcharacteristic tolerance indicators 331, 332 can be automatically setdepending on the type of equipment used by the user (e.g., 110B). Forexample, if the user 110B uses a headset with a microphone, each of thesound characteristic tolerance indicators 331, 332 can be set to ahigher level than indicators for a microphone on a tablet, as theheadset is typically provided to capture speech from a user and thesound level can be raised to reflect this. The personal soundcharacteristic tolerance indicator 330 can be used in operation 205,where users 110 input one or more sound preferences into the respectiveelectronic device 120.

FIG. 3B illustrates one or more elements of the GUI 301 useful fordisplay on the electronic device 120, according to one embodiment. Asshown, the GUI 301 is displayed on the screen 340 of the electronicdevice 120. The screen 340 is any typical screen configured to displayan operating system, such as a phone screen or computer monitor. Astatus icon 300B is configured to display some of the informationcontained in the software application 300A. The status icon 300B can bedisplayed on a notification bar 341 displayed in the GUI 301. In someembodiments, when the status icon 300B is clicked or tapped by the user,the software application 300A is displayed.

FIG. 4 illustrates a series 400 of GUI screens 410, 420, 430, 440, 450for a software application 460 that is configured to run on anelectronic device 120, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment,the software application 460 is configured to help the user find anappropriate meeting room. In one example, the user 110A is interested infinding an appropriate meeting room since it was determined duringperformance of at least a portion of method 200 that the user 110A wasexceeding the desired sound characteristic level within the localenvironment. In another example, the user 110A is simply interested infinding an appropriate meeting room to avoid being put into a positionof exceeding the desired sound characteristic level within the localenvironment due to an upcoming activity in which the user will generatesome noise (e.g., conference call). The software application 460 isconfigured to connect to an office environment booking system, such asLogitech Sync. The software application 460 can be a part of thesoftware application 300A and be used in operation 240, where an alertis generated on the electronic device 120A. For example, the softwareapplication 460 helps the user 110A find an available meeting room.

In some embodiments, software application 460 includes a calendarapplication, which is saved within memory of one or more of theelectronic devices 120, that includes information regarding scheduledtimes and dates that the meeting room is reserved. The calendarapplication can also have the capability to notify a user of one or moreof the electronic devices 120 that a meeting room is available, or isbecoming available after a certain period of time has elapsed, based onthe generation or receipt of an alert created by the softwareapplication 300A. In some embodiments, the calendar application isloaded onto to a local server that controls the scheduling of one ormore meeting rooms. In this configuration, the calendar applicationpositioned on the server can be updated and/or be accessed by one ormore electronic devices 120.

During the use of the electronic device 120, the user 110A may initiallybe shown the first GUI screen 410 upon beginning use of the softwareapplication 460. As shown, the first GUI screen 410 includes a list 411of one or more conference rooms (e.g., conference rooms 104, 107), and alist of a corresponding status 412 of each of the conference rooms. Thecapacity of people allowed in each of the conference rooms is shown inthe list 411. The list 411 shows whether the conference room isavailable. When the user 110A selects one of the conference rooms in thelist 411, the second GUI screen 420 is shown.

As shown, the second GUI screen 420 includes a room status 421 and aplurality of choice buttons 422. The room status 421 includesinformation about the name of the room and the room capacity. Theplurality of choice buttons 422 allow the user 110A to choose thecurrent room, or to go back and choose another room. If the user 110Achooses the current room, the software application 460 displays thethird GUI screen 430. If the user 110A chooses to go back to a previousscreen, the software application 460 displays the first GUI screen 410.

As shown, the third GUI screen 430 includes a book room button 431 and aschedule room button 432. If the user 110A chooses the book room button431, the electronic device 120 books the chosen meeting room bycommunicating the reservation of the room to one or more electronicdevice 120 and/or the host device 145. During this process theelectronic device 120 may also send a request to the host device 145 orother electronic devices 120 to make sure that the selected meeting roomis still available by polling the various devices. The softwareapplication 460 may then display the fourth GUI screen 440. The hostdevice 145 or electronic device 120 may also transfer the user's 110Acurrent call or related activity to a conferencing device (e.g., theconferencing device 111) present in the chosen room, according to oneembodiment. The call can be either an audio call or a video call.

As shown, the fourth GUI screen 440 includes a message 441. The message441 tells the user 110A that the chosen room has been successfullybooked. The message 441 also tells the user 110A that the user's currentcall has been successfully transferred, according to one embodiment.

If the user 110A chooses the schedule room button 432, the softwareapplication 460 displays the fifth GUI screen 450. During this processthe electronic device 120 may send a request to the host device 145 orother electronic devices 120 to make sure that the selected meeting roomis available by polling the various devices. As shown, the fifth GUIscreen 450 includes a schedule message 451. The schedule message 451tells the user 110A that the chosen room has been successfully booked ata given time and date.

The software application 460 can transfer the first user's current callto a conferencing device (e.g., conferencing device 111) located in aconference room. The software application 460 also can schedule aconference room for the future, which allows the first user 110A tocontinue the call at a later date and time.

Although five GUI 410, 420, 430, 440, 450 are described herein, it isunderstood that additional GUI screens could be included in the softwareapplication 460. For example, one or more error screens can be includedif there is an issue with booking the room, transferring the call,scheduling the meeting room, and the like.

Referring back to operation 240, in some embodiments, the alert providedto a user includes a suggestion for a room that is open. The room caneither be an empty conference room, or another room and/or area of theoffice that is more suitable for the first user's 110A sound level. Theroom suggested is based on proximity, availability, the user's 110Adesired and/or monitored and/or historical volume level. The electronicdevice 120 or host device 145 can also suggest rooms based on futureavailability. For example, the host device 145 does not suggest a roomthat will soon be booked for another meeting. The room suggested canalso be based on the pathway needed to reach the room. For example, thepathway can be through other loud areas, as to not disturb users inquiet areas on the way to the chosen room.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of the electronic system 500,according to one embodiment. As shown, the electronic system 500includes the one or more electronic devices 120. The various componentswithin the electronic system 500 are configured to communicate with eachother using a wired or wireless communication link 127, 128. Theelectronic system 500 will thus include a plurality of communicationlinks 127, 128 that allow the various components of the electronicsystem to interact with one another. In general, the various componentsof the electronic system 500, such as the electronic devices 120, orelectronic devices 120 and the host device 145, are configured tocommunicate with each other using a wired or wireless communication link127, 128. In some embodiments, the electronic system 500 also includes aconferencing device 111, such as video conferencing device, speakerphone or other useful device.

As discussed above, typically, each of the one or more electronicdevices 120 includes an assembly that includes at least one of aprocessing device 105 and a communications device 121. In oneembodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5, each electronic device 120includes a processing device 105 and a communications device 121 thatare in wired or wireless communication with each other. The electronicdevices 120 can each be coupled to a power source (e.g., wall outlet),although the electronic device can alternately receive power from abattery. For example, the electronic device 120 is located in aconference room, and the electronic device is wall powered. In anotherexample, the electronic device 120 is located in a conference room buthas very low power consumption (i.e., the charge lasts for about 1 yearor more), and thus the electronic device is powered by a battery orrechargeable battery. In yet another example, the communication device121 is connected by universal serial bus (USB) to the processing device105, and thus the processing device provides power to the communicationdevice.

As shown in FIG. 5, the processing device 105 of the electronic device120 includes a processing system 506 and memory 507. The memory containsstored data 108 and one or more software applications 509, such as asoftware application 300A and software application 460. As shown, theprocessing system 506 includes input/output (I/O) devices 506A, aprocessor 506B, and a transceiver 506C. The processor 506B can include acentral processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), and/orapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), and other usefulcomponents. The I/O devices 506A within the processing device 105include a speaker 511, a display device 512, a touch sensing device 513,and a sound sensing device 514. The one or more transceivers 506C areconfigured to establish a wired or wireless communication link 127 withother transceivers residing within other computing devices.

The I/O devices 506A within the processing device 105 can include motionsensing devices (e.g., accelerometers), magnetic field sensing devices,or other useful sensors that can be used to sense the interaction of theprocessing device 105 and the user. The I/O devices 506A can alsoinclude one or more timing devices, such as a clock (not shown), thatare configured to provide time related information to the processor 506Bwithin the processing system 506. The clock can be a simple IC orsimilar component, such as a crystal oscillator. The softwareapplications, such as software application 509, can include softwareapplications 309A and 460 that are configured to run in the foregroundor background on the processing device 105. The software applicationsare used to control one or more activities being performed by theprocessing device 105 and/or provide some useful input to the user viaaudio or visual means provided by the processing devices 105.

The memory 507 can be any technically feasible type of hardware unitconfigured to store data. For example, memory 507 includes some form ofnon-volatile memory, such as a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM)module, a flash memory unit, or a combination of different hardwareunits configured to store data. Software application 509, which isstored within the memory 507, includes program code that can be executedby processor 506B in order to perform various functionalities associatedwith the processing device 105. The stored data 508 can include any typeof information that relates to the public and/or private soundcharacteristic tolerance levels, configuration or control informationfor the electronic device, user preference data, electronic devicecontrol information, electronic device and/or system configurationinformation, useful software applications, or other useful information.

As shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the communications device 121includes a controller 530 and a graphical user interface (GUI) 595. Thecontroller 530 can be any conventional electronic computing device. Asshown, the controller includes a processing system 535 and a transceiver555. As shown, the processing system 535 includes memory 533,input/output (I/O) devices 532, and a processor 534. The processor 534can include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor(DSP), and/or application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), and otheruseful components. The memory 533 can include conventional non-volatilememory that has one or more software applications or software programs(not shown) stored therein. In some embodiments, the memory 533 includesinstructions, which when executed by the processor 534, are adapted toperform at least some portions of method 200. In some embodiments, aportion of the method 200 is performed by the controller 530 (e.g.,operations 210-215) and another portion of the method is performed bythe components of the processing device 105 (e.g., operations 220-240).However, in some embodiments of the electronic system 500, thecommunications device 121 is an electronic device that essentiallyincludes a microphone and related supporting electronics, and thus, inthis case, the computer instructions used to perform the method 200 isprimarily performed by the various components within the processingdevice 105.

The electronic device 120 will generally use local environment data todetermine, by use of one or more software applications 509 executed bythe processor within the processing device, what to display to the userof the processing device. In general, the electronic device 120 includeselectrical components that have the capability of storing, processingand/or delivering information to another electronic device 120.

The I/O devices 532 can also include one or more sensors that areconfigured to sense audible sounds generated by a user, and in someconfigurations detect distracting activities performed by a user. Insome embodiments, the one or more sensors include an omnidirectionalmicrophone that is configured to convert sound waves into an electricalsignal. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors include abeamforming microphone that is configured to preferentially detectaudible signals in various directions and convert the detected soundwaves into an electrical signal. The sensors may also include a motionsensing device (e.g., accelerometers), optical sensing devices, or othersimilar sensing devices.

In some embodiments, the electronic system 500 includes one or moreconferencing devices 111. The one or more conferencing devices 111include a video camera device that includes a digital camera (e.g.,charge-coupled device (CCD) camera or complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) camera), a keyboard that is coupled tothe controller 530, and a speaker phone, speaker, or other electronicdevice that is useful for video and/or conferencing, according to someembodiments. In one example, one or more of the video conferencingdevices 111 are an Ultimate Ears Boom™ speaker, a Harmony™ universalremote control, a Logitech Connect™ video conferencing device, or aLogitech BCC 950™ video conferencing device, that are all available fromLogitech USA of Newark, Calif. or Logitech Europe S. A. of Lausanne,Switzerland.

In general, the one or more conferencing devices 111 are incommunication with one or more of the electronic devices 120 via one ormore communication links 127. The controller 530 can be in communicationwith one or more devices that are positioned and configured to enablethe formation of communication with a host device 145 using thecommunication link 127. In some cases, the communication link 127 cansupport the transmission of video conference feeds that include audioand video streams, which allows for the communication link 127 to beformed on a high performance network that is connected to a local areanetwork (LAN) present in each communication location and/or acrossmultiple communication locations on a wide area network (WAN).

The host device 145 is configured to retrieve, transmit, analyze, anddetermine information from various components of the electronic system500. As shown, the host device 145 includes a controller 598 and atransceiver 597. The transceiver 597 is configured to communicate withvarious components of the electronic system 500 via any of thecommunication methods described herein.

The controller 598 can be any form of conventional electronic computingdevice. As shown, the controller 598 includes memory 598A, input/output(I/O) devices 598B, and a processor 598C. The processor 598C can includea central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP),and/or application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), and other usefulcomponents. The memory 598A can include conventional non-volatile memorythat has one or more software applications or software programs (notshown) stored therein. The method 200 can be stored or accessible to thecontroller 598 as non-transient computer readable media containinginstructions, that when executed by a processor of the controller 598,cause the electronic system 500 to perform the method 200.

Environmental Control

In some embodiments, an electronic device 120 or host device 145monitors or receives input from other electronic devices 120 positionedwithin various areas of the environment 100 and automatically determinesloud and quiet areas based on a relative comparison of collectedenvironment data and/or by use threshold levels stored in memory of theelectronic device 120 or host device 145. For example, if one region ofthe environment 100 has users 110 who consistently remain below a soundlevel of about 55 dB, the host device 145 labels that area as a quietzone. The electronic device 120 or host device 145 can be programmed toprompt users to maintain a minimum or maximum of quiet and/or loud zonesin the environment 100 (e.g., the host device ensures that at least onequiet area is kept in the office environment at all times). Theelectronic device 120 or host device 145 can be programmed to maintain aminimum or maximum of quiet and/or loud area (in m² or ft²) in theenvironment 100.

In some embodiments, an electronic device 120 or host device 145 storesthe received environmental data and/or device configurational data inthe memory, such as memory 598A of a host device 145. The electronicdevice 120 or host device 145 may record the change of quiet zones andloud zones in the environment 100 over the course of a day, week, month,and/or year. The electronic device 120 or host device 145 may alsorecord the behavior of users 110 in the environment 100 over the courseof a day, week, month, and/or year. For example, the host device 145tracks how often a given user 110 is alerted to lower his or her volume,and how often the user moves to a loud or quiet zone. In anotherexample, the host device 145 tracks how the user's 110A sound levelschange with time (e.g., the user 110A gets louder from the beginning ofthe phone call compared to the end of the phone call). Thus, a user 110Awho becomes louder over time can be asked to move to a loud area, eventhough at the given moment the user 110A is under the current maximumsound limit of the room the user occupies.

An electronic device 120 or the host device 145 can also be used totrack the total movement of the users 110 throughout the environment 100as the users move from quiet to loud zones and vice versa. This allows apower-user of the host device 145 to determine more optimal layouts ofthe environment 100 (e.g., number of loud and quiet zones, and/orlocation of loud and quiet zones). In addition, the power-user and/orthe host device 145 can use this information to suggest buyingnoise-canceling headsets or other equipment for users 110 that morefrequently require quiet areas. The host device 145 can also track thelanguage of the user 110 by using language-recognizing algorithms. Thus,the host device 145 can track the different languages used by users 110and whether the user's 110A language affects other users 1108, 110C thatdon't speak the given language.

In some embodiments, an electronic device 120 or the host device 145 canalso be used to track productivity of one or more users or provide inputregarding a user's productivity based on a sound characteristic detectedwithin the environment 100. A person's productivity can be monitored ordetermined by detecting how many times the user had to seek a quieterspace within an environment.

Thus, a given room can be designated as a quiet area (e.g., the firstemployee work room 102), and another room can be designated as acollaborative area (e.g., the second employee work room 103, the firstconference room 104, and/or the second conference room 107). In thequiet area, the one or more electronic devices 120 disposed within theroom (e.g., electronic device 120B and/or processing devices in use bythe users 110) can monitor the sound and track whether the sound levelis below the quiet limit. In the collaboration area, the one or moreelectronic devices 120 disposed within the room (e.g., electronicdevices 120C, 120D, 120E and/or processing devices in use by the users110) can monitor the sound and track whether the sound level is belowthe collaboration limit.

As described above, a computer implemented method is provided. Themethod includes receiving local environment data, transmitting the localenvironment data, determining status information from one or moresecondary electronic devices, and generating an alert on a processingdevice. Also provided is a non-transient computer readable mediumcontaining program instructions for causing a host device to perform themethod. An electronic system is provided to perform the method. Themethod allows for monitoring sound levels of various users in an officeenvironment.

The method and electronic system allows users in the office environmentto provide anonymous feedback to users that do not maintain anappropriate sound level. The user also does not need to worry that theuser is being too loud for the users nearby, as the nearby users cananonymously warn the user about his or her sound levels without directconfrontation. The method and electronic system also provides forsolutions to the user to move either to an area with more appropriatesound levels or to book a conference room. The method and electronicsystems allow for monitoring and creating areas of an open-plan officewith loud and quite regions for more effective location of workers inthe office.

The invention has been described above with reference to specificembodiments. Persons skilled in the art, however, will understand thatvarious modifications and changes may be made thereto without departingfrom the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims. The foregoing description and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

1. A computer implemented method, comprising: receiving, at a firstelectronic device, local environment data, wherein the local environmentdata comprises information regarding a sound level of an audible signaldetected in a first region of an environment; determining that the soundlevel of the audible signal is greater than a first sound characteristicpreference level stored in memory of the first electronic device;receiving, at the first electronic device, availability information,wherein the availability information comprises information regarding anavailability of a second region of the environment; and displaying theavailability information on a display of the first electronic deviceafter determining that the sound level of the audible signal is greaterthan the first sound characteristic preference level.
 2. The computerimplemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at thefirst electronic device, local environment data detected in the secondregion; comparing a characteristic of the local environment datadetected in the second region with the sound characteristic preferencelevel or the local environment data of the first region; and displayingadditional information on the display of the first electronic device,wherein the displayed additional information comprises informationrelating to the second region.
 3. The computer implemented method ofclaim 2, wherein the displayed information further comprises informationrelating to the local environmental data detected in the second region.4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first regionof the environment comprises an area that is within a 15 meter radius ofthe first electronic device.
 5. The computer implemented method of claim1, further comprising: receiving, from a second electronic device, thefirst sound characteristic preference level before determining that thesound level of the audible signal is greater than the first soundcharacteristic preference level.
 6. The computer implemented method ofclaim 5, further comprising: receiving, from a third electronic device,the first sound characteristic preference level before determining thatthe sound level of the audible signal is greater than the first soundcharacteristic preference level, wherein determining that the soundlevel of the audible signal is greater than the first soundcharacteristic preference level comprises: comparing the first soundcharacteristic preference level received from the second electronicdevice and the audible signal, and comparing the first soundcharacteristic preference level received from the third electronicdevice and the audible signal.
 7. A computer implemented method,comprising: receiving, at a first electronic device, local environmentdata, wherein the local environment data comprises information regardinga sound level of an audible signal detected in a first region of anenvironment; determining that the sound level of the audible signal isgreater than a first sound characteristic preference level stored inmemory of the first electronic device; receiving, at the firstelectronic device, availability information, wherein the availabilityinformation comprises information regarding an availability of a secondregion of the environment; generating an alert on the first electronicdevice, wherein the alert is generated after it is determined that thesound level of the audible signal is greater than the first soundcharacteristic preference level and after receiving the availabilityinformation; and then displaying the availability information andinformation relating to the alert on a display of the first electronicdevice.
 8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, furthercomprising: receiving, at the first electronic device, local environmentdata detected in the second region; comparing a characteristic of thelocal environment data detected in the second region with the soundcharacteristic preference level or the local environment data of thefirst region; and displaying additional information on the display ofthe first electronic device, wherein the displayed additionalinformation comprises information relating to the second region.
 9. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the displayedinformation further comprises information relating to the localenvironmental data detected in the second region.
 10. The computerimplemented method of claim 8, wherein the displaying the additionalinformation further comprises at least one of: information relating to alocation of the second region of the environment; a local sound level ofthe second region of the environment; and a path from a current locationof the first electronic device to the location of the second region ofthe environment.
 11. The computer implemented method of claim 7, furthercomprising: receiving, from a second electronic device, the first soundcharacteristic preference level before determining that the sound levelof the audible signal is greater than the first sound characteristicpreference level.
 12. The computer implemented method of claim 11,further comprising: receiving, from a third electronic device, the firstsound characteristic preference level before determining that the soundlevel of the audible signal is greater than the first soundcharacteristic preference level, wherein determining that the soundlevel of the audible signal is greater than the first soundcharacteristic preference level comprises: comparing the first soundcharacteristic preference level received from the second electronicdevice and the audible signal, and comparing the first soundcharacteristic preference level received from the third electronicdevice and the audible signal.
 13. A computer implemented method,comprising: receiving, at a first electronic device, local environmentdata, wherein the local environment data comprises information regardinga sound level of a local audible signal detected in a first region of anenvironment; determining that the sound level of the local audiblesignal is greater than a first sound characteristic preference levelstored in memory of the first electronic device; receiving, at the firstelectronic device, availability information, wherein the availabilityinformation is derived from determining that a sound level of an audiblesignal detected in a second region of the environment is less than asecond sound characteristic preference level; generating an alert on thefirst electronic device, wherein the alert is generated after it isdetermined that the sound level of the local audible signal is greaterthan the first sound characteristic preference level and after receivingthe availability information; and then displaying the availabilityinformation and information relating to the alert on a display of thefirst electronic device.
 14. The computer implemented method of claim13, further comprising: receiving, at the first electronic device, localenvironment data detected in the second region; comparing acharacteristic of the local environment data detected in the secondregion with the sound characteristic preference level or the localenvironment data of the first region; and displaying additionalinformation on the display of the first electronic device, wherein thedisplayed additional information comprises information relating to thesecond region.
 15. The computer implemented method of claim 14, whereinthe displayed information further comprises information relating to thelocal environmental data detected in the second region.
 16. The computerimplemented method of claim 13, further comprising displaying on thedisplay of the first electronic device at least one of: informationrelating to a location of the second region of the environment; a localsound level of the second region of the environment; and a path from acurrent location of the first electronic device to the location of thesecond region of the environment.
 17. The computer implemented method ofclaim 13, further comprising: receiving, from a second electronicdevice, the first sound characteristic preference level beforedetermining that the sound level of the audible signal is greater thanthe first sound characteristic preference level.
 18. The computerimplemented method of claim 17, further comprising: receiving, from athird electronic device, the first sound characteristic preference levelbefore determining that the sound level of the audible signal is greaterthan the first sound characteristic preference level, whereindetermining that the sound level of the audible signal is greater thanthe first sound characteristic preference level comprises: comparing thefirst sound characteristic preference level received from the secondelectronic device and the audible signal, and comparing the first soundcharacteristic preference level received from the third electronicdevice and the audible signal.